The present invention relates generally to receptacles for feline excrement (i.e., litter boxes for cats). In particular, the invention involves, a litter box cleaning system, an improved litter box and/or components thereof that in at least one embodiment provide a method for easily cleaning the litter in a litter box without undue effort, expensive equipment and/or special training.
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a myriad of devices and systems have been proposed, conceived and manufactured to assist in the unpleasant process of cleaning feline litter boxes. To date, no known proposal has been completely satisfactory while many are prone to failure. The known art includes the following devices.
A device commonly referred to as a hand-held scoop has been used for many years. It is believed to be the original litter box cleaning device. The hand-held scoop is simple but inefficient. A user must search the litter box for clumps of waste, including feces and urine clumps, and then collect them in the scoop and transport them to a separate container for subsequent disposal. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the use of a hand-held scoop can be both time consuming and unpleasant and often leaves hidden, unrecovered debris in the cleaned litter. The main advantage of the manual scoop is its practicality and very low cost per unit.
An improvement to the hand-held scoop is a bag that attaches to modified scoops for receiving wastes. This device is basically the same as the scoop (discussed hereinabove), except that collected debris is deposited in an attached bag through a collection tube in the rear of the scoop. However, this device suffers from many of the same shortcomings as the scoop. Moreover, this device is not inexpensive at $9.00 for the scoop and $3.00 per month for replacement bags.
A variety of sifting tray systems exist. These devices are sold under various names, including Lift n' Sift, Turbo Cat, Scoop-No-More, Van Ness, etc., and the most successful, Quicksand. Examples of these devices are also shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,325,815, 5,823,137, 5,673,648, 5,799,610, 5,601,052, 5,785,000 and 5,577,462.
Typically, these devices employ a multiple tray structure wherein the upper tray is penetrated by a plurality of slots, slits or holes. The litter is cleaned by lifting the sifting tray to allow clean litter to fall through the slots, slits or holes while debris is retained in the lifted tray.
Another litter sifting product is a sifting liner. These devices are among the most practical of the conventional systems. The liners allow for keeping the box clean and protected from errant cat functions. The liners can be used with regular and clumping litters but not with natural litters. The liners are sanitary and efficient with good control of debris after sifting. However, these devices are not efficient for cats who dig aggressively. The cost of the liners is moderately high (approximately $37.00 to $72.00 per year).
While sifting systems can be relatively fast to use, they do require time and effort to reset them for subsequent use. They also suffer from several other drawbacks. For example, these types of litter systems are often heavy and difficult to manipulate. The litter sifter and litter mass (often weighing 8 to 12 lbs.), must be lifted during sifting and the sifted, cleaned litter poured back into another pan or the trays realigned and placed into another pan. This can be hard work for the person cleaning the box. The sifting action also creates needless dust and spillage.
Another difficulty is that many of these devices cannot utilize a litter liner to protect the pan from being soiled by the feline secretions. Further, many of these devices require hand washing, of the litter box which is generally a difficult, messy, and wholly unpleasant experience. Also, the slots, slits, or holes consistently become clogged with debris and often have to be manually cleared for efficient use. Spillage while changing the litter or disposing of the waste is also quite common. Finally, the exterior of the boxes of many of these devices are designed in a way that does not allow the use of a hood.
Some of these devices also require special clumping litter and they cannot use regular clay or other natural litters. As a result, while they are relatively inexpensive initially (on the order of $14.95 to 42.95 per unit), they are more expensive to operate in the long term than other devices.
Another common type of litter box is the self-cleaning, roll-over box or a combination screen and roll-over feature. Examples of this type are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,752,465, 5,509,379 and 5,622,140. These devices are often round in shape and they are typically self-contained. By rolling or turning the unit over and back, the feline excrements and other debris are captured in a tray for subsequent removal while the clean litter falls back into the box for use. These boxes can become quite nasty over time from soft wastes since no protection for the interior surfaces is possible. These devices are marginally expensive initially (only $39.95 to $69.95 per unit) but, again, they require special clumping litter and suffer from this disadvantage.
Another litter box improvement involves an automated or semi-automated self-cleaning feature (the brand Littermaid, for example). Examples can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,477,812, 5,544,620, 5,267,530, 5,226,388, 5,048,464, 4,787,334, 5,048,465, 5,823,138 and 5,259,340.
In general, the automation of the cleaning feature of these devices is supposed to enhance their cleanliness. While these devices do have advantages, they also suffer from several problems. For example, the motorized devices are relatively loud during operation, which often scares cats, and its cleaning action can also frighten cats. Also, devices equipped with sensors are prone to failure caused when the sensors are covered by litter, dust, waste, etc. causing the unit to run constantly. Further, these devices typically cannot utilize a liner so that they require frequent cleaning. Unfortunate experience has shown that urine inevitably finds unreachable places and creates unpleasant odors. Another limitation is the storage capacity of the debris collector. Since it is limited, unattended use can cause an overflow. Also the initial cost of such devices can be quite high (approximately $200.00 per unit). Still further, these automated units use clumping litter only.
Thus, a need exists in the art for an improved litter box, system, components and/or method. Also, an improved system should be easy to empty and clean. An improved system should have components that may be easily disassembled for cleaning and sanitation.